The Road Not Taken
by HouseNorthman
Summary: *Meant to be read after Blood On The Bayou* Follow Eric and Sookie as they get married and try to navigate the life of a powerful Supernatural couple. Fun, humor, romance, and adventures...I'm not big on angst and drama.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story picks up the day after the proposal (Monday July 5****th****)**

"_Sookie? Sookie where are you sweetheart?" I heard Gran calling from downstairs._

"_I'm up here in the attic Gran!" _

_I heard her slow footsteps coming up the stairs and turned to see her head pop up above the little stairs that led to the attic. I walked to her and held out my hand to steady her the rest of the way up._

"_What are you doing up here child?" She asked in that voice I had so desperately missed hearing._

"_I was looking for Mama's wedding dress. I have the most wonderful news Gran; I'm getting married! Can you believe it?"_

"_Of course I can believe it Sookie! Any man would be lucky to have you as their wife."_

"_Thanks Gran, but you know I never thought I would be able to get married. I can't be with a man whose every thought I could hear; I would go crazy! I imagined that I might have some dates every now and then but I never even let myself dream that I might fall in love and get married. I wish you could meet him Gran, I think you would like him." I held my Mother's simple ivory gown up to my frame and looked in the mirror._

"_Your Mother would be very proud of you Sookie. You've grown into a beautiful, intelligent young woman and now you've found your very own Prince Charming. I never had any doubts you would be a beautiful bride someday."_

"_Really? Even with my little handicap?"_

"_You aren't handicapped girl. You're very special; you know that deep down. I know growing up was hard for you because people didn't understand or accept what you were, but that's changed now. You are a powerful woman and you certainly aren't handicapped. Your fella has made darn sure to show you how special you are, hasn't he?"_

"_Yes he has. How did you know that? You were already gone by the time I started seeing Eric."_

"_Just because you can't see someone doesn't mean they're truly gone dear. I'm always with you where it's important." She said as she took my hand and held it against my heart._

"_Oh Gran I wish you were still here. I miss you every day since you've been gone. I can't imagine planning my wedding and my future without you there and there's so many things that I've discovered lately that I wish I could talk to you about. Well come to think about it, I guess you knew about some of them all along." I held her close as the tears streamed down my face. The last year worth of grief I had tried to shut out was now threatening to overtake me._

"_I know baby, I miss you too. I know life has thrown you a few curveballs lately, but all you need to do is have faith in your own instincts. I raised you and Jason the best way I knew how but that doesn't mean the things I taught you are set in stone. You know you are something very special dear and don't be afraid to embrace it, even if you don't always understand it. Your vampire and your new family will help you along the way. Don't you worry about me either; I'm still keeping an eye on you and I'll be with you on your special day. I wouldn't miss it for the world!"_

_I dried my face and stepped back in front of the mirror with Gran watching on; trying to let her words sink into my consciousness._

"_I might have to let it out a little bit; Mama wasn't as curvy as me!" I laughed._

RRRIIINNNGGGG! RRRIIINNNGGG! I was slowly brought out of my dream by the sound of my phone ringing beside me.

"Hello" I answer groggily.

"Morning! Are you just waking up?" Amelia's chipper voice came through.

"Um…yeah. What time is it?"

"It's 2 in the afternoon Sookie! Dang the Viking must have really kept you up last night."

"Oh yeah. Hey I'm glad you called; can you come to Fangtasia tonight at 9?"

"Sure, I don't have anything planned. Wait a minute; it's Monday, the club is closed."

"Yeah it's closed tonight but me and Eric just wanted everyone to get together. I'm going to leave a message with the vamps to come too, so they'll see it when they rise tonight."

"Ok cool. Actually I'm at Pam's house right now and Godric and Karin are here too. I can tell them when they get up this evening. Is there something special going on tonight or what?"

I had to bite my tongue to keep from blabbing to her about the engagement. Eric and I decided last night that we would gather everyone tonight to tell them together. Godric already knew the plan ahead of time, so he wouldn't be surprised. After I had time to digest what was happening last night, it occurred to me that was the reason Godric had been so adamant about leaving us alone last night; he knew Eric was going to propose.

"No nothing really, just wanted to get everyone together to hang out. Eric said since the club is closed tonight we can relax and enjoy ourselves, oh and he said drinks are on the house!"

"Well I'm definitely in! Ok so I'll see you at 9 then; bye!"

"Bye sweetie!"

I set the phone down and looked down at the stunning 2 carat diamond ring on my finger. It was a square cut diamond with small diamonds in another square around it and small diamonds going halfway around each side of the band. It was custom made and by far the most beautiful ring I had ever seen; I was shocked when Eric told me there were two thin diamond bands to go with it that I would get on our wedding day.

I sat in the dark silence for a few minutes thinking back to the dream of my grandmother. She had seemed so real to me even though I knew in the dream that she was gone. What really stuck out to me was her telling me that my new family would be a great support system for me with all the changes happening in my life. True to Gran's generous nature, she didn't seem to have any problem with my less than human 'family.' I wonder if she were alive, what she would think of her new in-laws? I'm sure she would have probably questioned Godric until the cows came home about every period in history he had lived through! Strangely, the dream left me with a sense of peace knowing that it wasn't just a fantasy; my Gran really did know how happy I was and she would be with me in spirit when I married Eric.

I rolled back over and gave Eric a kiss and pushed his golden hair out of his face before getting up. The sight of him lying there, sprawled across the bed naked was enough to make me think twice about ever leaving the confines of the bedroom. Come to think of it, I guess this was sort of my bedroom too now. If Eric and I were going to be married, it only made sense that we would live in his house. He had a very large, beautiful house and now it was part of his Royal compound with all the guards and security; not to mention, my new horses that lived here! Another part of Eric's secret plan to get me to move in with him I guess.

I drug myself away from my Scandinavian Ken doll long enough to shower and do my hair and makeup. After going upstairs and eating a grilled chicken salad for lunch/dinner I sent texts out to Bill, Harper, and Jason asking them to please come to Fangtasia tonight at 9. With that settled I grabbed my sunglasses and a book and went out to the back patio to sit in my favorite chaise lounge and soak up some sunshine. I was so engrossed in my book, it startled me when a voice behind me said "afternoon ma'am."

"Oh hey Brody! How's it going?" I asked him.

"Real good Ms. Stackhouse; how about you?"

"Oh wonderful, look at this!" I held my hand up and showed him my ring.

"Well congratulations ma'am! No disrespect, but I didn't know vamps were into marriage."

"I guess a lot of them aren't, but now with some of the states approving the VHA8 I'm guessing we won't be the only ones tying the knot. Plus, Eric says that the blood bond we have is what most vampires think of as marriage so they wouldn't think it necessary to be married by human laws."

"That's true I suppose; all Supes recognize the importance of a bonded pair. I didn't know Louisiana had approved vamp marriage yet?"

"They haven't; we're going to Vegas!"

"Oh wow, that's gonna be awesome! You guys will have a great time there."

"Well Brody we're all gonna have a good time; you know you'll be there too?"

"Me?"

"Of course! We can't travel without our most badass security guards." I said winking at him.

"In that case, viva Las Vegas! I've got to get back to work, do you need anything before I go ma'am?"

"Just one thing; and this is something I've told you before." Ha! I saw the flash of concern on his face. "Brody you know how I feel about the ma'am thing. If we aren't at some kind of official function, just Sookie is fine." I flashed him my brightest smile.

"Sure ma..Sookie. See you later." He tipped his cowboy hat to me and left to patrol the grounds.

A few hours later, I was booty shaking around the kitchen; listening to Miranda Lambert while making a margarita when Eric chuckled from behind me.

"What a lovely sight to wake up to." He said eyeing my black satiny shorts and following down my legs.

"Hey baby!" I squealed and ran and jumped into his arms. He caught me easily and I wrapped my legs around his waist, kissing him for all I was worth.

"Mmmm must we leave the house tonight lover?"

As hard as it was to deny him while I was practically throbbing with desire, I had plans for this evening that I intended to keep.

"Yes we must. They're going to be really excited for us, don't you think?" I asked nervously.

"Of course they will. Godric is thrilled as well as shocked that I'm going to be a married man and I think Pam will love having you as part of the family."

"I was thinking about that today. I know she likes me but it can't be easy for her to have to share you after all these years so I was thinking that I would ask her to be my maid of honor; you know to show her that I love her and I want her to be involved in every part of this."

"Sookie that is very kind of you. I think my child will be very happy about that."

"Well good because I love her like the cool sister I never had and I don't want her to resent me for taking you away."

"She would never do that Sookie. She does not yet know that I asked you last night, but she did know that I was going to ask you to marry me and she was happy about it."

"She already knew you were going to propose?" He shook his head yes. "How long have you been planning this?"

"I've known since the day I met you that I wanted you to be mine forever, but I decided to ask for your hand in marriage while we were in Mississippi a few months ago. When we returned home, I started making preparations."

Talk about making a girl melt into a puddle; I always knew Eric wanted to sleep with me since he met me but to hear him say he had wanted to be with me forever from day one was touching. Sometimes I wondered what I did to get so lucky. I didn't know what to say so I just smiled at him before easing myself down from his waist.

"I just need to grab a few things and then I'll be ready ok?"

"Of course dear, take your time. I'm going to make a few phone calls while you are getting ready." He said.

I went down the hall to my bedroom (that I never actually slept in) and packed a little overnight bag. I knew as soon as Amelia found out about the wedding she would want to start planning immediately so I was going to spend the night with her at the farmhouse. I threw in a few other things I would need for later at the club before going up to the third floor where Eric's office was.

This was actually one of the most beautiful rooms in the house, in my opinion. In the middle of the room was a large, heavy mahogany desk with Eric's Apple iMac computer, a phone and fax machine and some files that he was working on. He sat behind the desk in an oversized black leather chair and above him was a large, round skylight in the ceiling. There was a velvety soft fur rug on the floor in front of the desk and a brown leather sofa against the wall. On the backside of the wall, there were custom made cabinets that lined the wall in a semi-circle and a fireplace to the right of the room where his sword and family shield I gave him were proudly displayed. He had some of his oldest books stacked neatly on top of the cabinets and a little replica of a Viking ship. The walls were painted cobalt blue and held a few paintings, a clock, and a small plasma TV that was usually turned to a news channel that had stock figures constantly running across the screen. In other words, it was a man's wet dream of a home office.

I plopped down on the couch and waited for Eric to finish his call and check his email which only took about twenty minutes. When he was finished, he vamped over to me and picked me up bridal style.

"Are you ready honey?" I asked him.

"Yes, are you?"

"Yeah, but I was hoping we could look at a calendar before we go and maybe decide on a date for the wedding. You know everyone will ask once they find out we're getting married."

"Is that so? Well we don't want to disappoint our public so let's see what we can figure out." He sat back down at his desk and positioned me on his lap so that we could look at the calendar on the computer. "How long do couples usually wait to get married after the engagement?"

"Usually between 6 months to a year so they have time to plan and prepare for the wedding."

"A year? That is a long time to plan a wedding; surely it can be done much faster than that."

"Well sure it can, but most people don't have the time or money to do it quicker than that; especially if you want to have a big wedding and reception."

"How big do you wish our wedding to be?" He asked.

"Well considering that we'll have a separate bonding ceremony for the Kingdom, I don't have many people I want to invite. I'm not exactly Miss Popularity and I don't have much family, so that narrows the list considerably. We'll need to give everyone time to get off work though if we're going to Vegas."

"Did you have a particular time you want to get married lover? This is all about you; I want you to be happy."

"Well I love the fall and I thought that would be nice, but do you think we can plan a wedding that fast?"

"Of course we can Sookie. You will have Pam and your girlfriends to help you and you can hire a wedding planner to take care of everything."

"What do you know about a wedding planner?"

"Pam mentioned it. She said it would be a necessity for you to have one."

I laughed at the thought of my tough as nails vampires sitting around talking about engagements and wedding planners. "It's not a necessity, but it might be helpful."

"Ok then let's look at October…. how about Saturday October 16th? That would give you a little over 3 months to plan and we would be back in time to finish preparations for the Halloween party."

"That sounds perfect to me! Oh my gosh I can't believe we're getting married in 3 months, I'm so happy!" I threw my arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses.

"Not as happy as you make me my love. Now that I'm thinking about it, why don't we get married in Vegas on the 16th and then we can have the ceremony for the Kingdom at the Halloween party. We can kill two birds with one stone." He smiled at his correct use of such a modern term.

"That's a good idea. It would be easier to do that than try to gather everyone here for Halloween and then again so soon for the bonding ceremony. Hey I don't know anything about planning for a vampire ceremony, what am I supposed to do for that?"

"You will need to contact Quinn sometime this week and tell him our plans; he will take care of everything."

"Oh yeah because he's like the main guy for E(E)E. Ok so I'll call him this week and tell him that in addition to the Halloween party we will be having the bonding ceremony. Do I need to give him a down payment or something?"

"No lover, I have an account with the company and they will charge whatever they need to it. Anything you wish to purchase for the wedding I'd like you to put on your black AMEX card and I'll give you the phone number to the shop that printed the invitations for the coronation. They are located in New Orleans and you can set up an appointment to visit them when I go to the Palace in a few days. I'm sure they will be able to provide whatever invitations you want."

"Oh ok, so you want me to go to work with you in New Orleans this week?"

"I would love it if you would, but it's your choice of course."

"Aw of course I want to go with you! I just don't usually ask because I don't want to be in your way. I can't wait until your new Palace is set up here."

"Sookie you are never in my way. Running the Kingdom is important, but you will always be my first priority. Last night Alcide told me that the new Royal residence should be finished in two weeks, so this should be the last week I have to go to New Orleans. In fact it will be good for you to see me in action since soon you will be the Queen of Louisiana."

"Very funny Eric, I'm not a vampire. I know they're going to call me your consort or some medieval sounding shit like that."

"Oh I'm quite serious. You may not be vampire but you are certainly no human. I have been thinking about this since becoming King and I believe I will talk to Niall and see how he feels about publicly acknowledging you as his kin and a potential heir to the throne of Faery. I think the small risk associated with the acknowledgment is far outweighed by the advantages it would give you."

"What kind of advantages? I thought you guys didn't want the Supe world knowing he was my great Grandfather because it was dangerous?"

"That was before I became King. We are about to be publicly bonded and married and I am the Monarch of this territory; I wish for you to sit at my side as Queen. To do this, I believe we will need the backing of someone as powerful as Niall. Once the council knows that you are of the Royal bloodline, I don't think they will have a problem with you being Queen; especially since this could be a good opportunity to build relations with the Fae realm."

"You really think they will allow me to be Queen of the vampires, even though I'm not a vampire?" He shook his head. "I don't know if I'm cut out for this Eric, I don't know anything about being a Queen."

"Sookie you are brave, strong, and intelligent. You don't give yourself enough credit dear one. I am very confident that you will rise to the occasion as you do everything else."

"Well I'm glad you're so sure because I'm not."

"Do not worry, we will talk to Niall and figure all this out."

"Eric we've got to invite him over for dinner or something so we can tell him about the engagement! Do you think he's going to be OK with me marrying a vampire?"

"I admit it wouldn't be his first choice for you, but I have spoken to him and he approves of the marriage. He knows you are safe with me and that I will provide you with everything you will ever need or want."

"You've already talked to him?"

"Yes of course. It is customary to seek approval from your Father but since he is deceased, I went to Niall and told him of my intentions. After agreeing on a few points, he gave his blessing for the marriage."

"Wow. You've really put a lot of thought into this. I think it's pretty sexy that you asked permission to marry me; you don't usually ask permission for anything!"

"That is true, but this was more of a show of respect to your great Grandfather. I would still marry you even if he had a problem with it."

"That's what I thought!" I laughed and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a kiss. Oh those lips that were like cool silk; I could kiss this man for hours. "Oh Eric it's almost 9, we've got to get to the club." I stood up and straightened out my clothes. "Do I look okay?"

"You look more than okay. If we had more time, I would test the durability of those satin shorts." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I felt the warmth between my legs instantly.

"There will be plenty of time for that later Viking. Come on, let's go!" I grabbed my overnight bag and we walked to the garage. Eric told the guards to stay and watch the house and that he wouldn't need them tonight, so we hopped in the Corvette and pulled into Fangtasia in ten minutes. Pam, Godric, Karin, and Amelia were already there. As we were walking to the employee door, I stopped and turned to Eric.

"Don't say anything yet until everyone gets here." He shook his head. "How am I going to hide this ring until we say something? Here, stay right beside me." I scooted against his side and slid my left hand into his back pocket.

"Ooh, a little to the left." He laughed and wiggled his gorgeous ass on my hand.

We walked in and found Godric, Amelia, and Karin sitting at the bar with bloods and a martini.

"Hey guys!" Amelia called when she saw us.

"Hey! I'm glad you guys came, where's Pam?"

"She's in her office ordering some supplies for the bar. What did you all have planned for tonight?"

"Oh I just thought we could all hang out for a little while." I smiled and tried to keep the guilty look off my face.

Karin walked up to stand in front of us. "Good evening Mistress; Master." She said giving us a little nod.

"Hey Karin! You sure look pretty tonight; are you going somewhere?" I asked her.

"Yes, I have a date later." She smiled at me.

"Who are you going out with?" Eric asked her.

"Actually it is one of your security guards I met last night; Aiden. He is quite handsome and I find myself tiring of human men; they can't keep up with my stamina." She gave us the Northman family smirk.

"Oh really? Aiden is great; I think you'll like him." I said. I didn't think Weres and vamps usually got along well enough to date, but maybe they hooked up for sex? I'd have to ask Eric about it later.

"Well we'll see; if nothing else he is quite nice to look at."

"Godric I'm glad you could come over tonight." Eric said nodding at his Maker.

"Of course my son; I wouldn't miss it for the world." He winked at me and went to sit beside Amelia.

The front door opened and in walked Bill and Harper. Just as I noticed last night, Bill looked more relaxed and happy than I had ever seen him. Apparently being a Maker was just what the doctor ordered.

"Your Majesty; Sookie." Bill said bowing his head.

"Good evening King Northman; Sookie." Harper said doing a little curtsy.

"Hey guys thanks for coming!" I said beaming at the two of them. I leaned over and gave Harper a little one arm hug, trying to keep my left hand behind Eric but I was about to burst trying to wait a little longer to make the announcement.

"Sookie thanks again for inviting me last night, I can't remember the last time I've had so much fun!" Harper said.

"Oh sure, I had a great time too. I'm glad everybody had so much fun; they had no idea about how us country girls get down did they?"

"Oh no, I think everybody except maybe the Weres were pretty surprised that two dainty girls like us knew anything about mud boggin'!" She laughed.

"Well am I missing the party or what?" Pam said gliding out into the main bar.

"Hey Pam!" I practically blinded her with my smile; she probably thought I was crazy.

"So what are we all doing here tonight? Fighting, orgy, both? I'm fine with either." She said smirking at us.

"I'm afraid not tonight dear." Eric said kissing her forehead.

"Harper, would you mind getting everyone something to drink?" Eric asked.

"Sure! Y'all just tell me what type you want." She said walking behind the bar. She pulled out a case of True Bloods from the refrigerator but Eric told her to grab the bottle of Royalty instead.

Leaning down, Eric whispered in my ear. "Should we wait for your brother?"

I looked at the clock and saw it was already 9:30. "No let's just go ahead and tell them and I'll tell him when he gets here." It didn't surprise me that Jason was late; hell I wondered if he would even show up.

Harper was passing out the flutes of Royalty and she brought me a glass of Moscato. I thanked her and then sent Eric an image of him telling everyone the good news. Sometimes our silent communication was really helpful.

"I'm glad you all could make it tonight. Sookie and I wanted to have a little time with our closest family and friends to celebrate a most joyous occasion. I have asked Sookie to be my wife and she has accepted; we are to be wed." His voice boomed across the room and as the last words left his mouth, I pulled my hand out of his pocket and held it out in front of me; blushing and grinning like a maniac.

"Oh my Goddess!" Amelia squealed and ran over to me.

"Aww Sookie congratulations!" Harper said throwing her arms around me.

Godric was smiling like a proud Papa and stepped up to whisper something to Eric. Karin and Pam stepped forward and surprisingly Pam reached out and hugged me tight.

"Welcome to the family Sookie." She said softly.

I couldn't quite the read the expression on Karin's face but no matter how she was feeling, she hugged me and said "congratulations Mistress."

I noticed Eric was looking at me with the warmest smile on his face. He was being bombarded with my love and pure bliss right now. We stood and talked to everyone for a few minutes, the girls were busy checking out my ring and voicing their approval. Amelia was gushing about how exciting this was and how we were going to plan the best wedding ever. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who care about us and our happiness and to know that they were truly excited for us. I was a little sad that my brother didn't show up but I wasn't going to let anything bring me down tonight; there was too much to be happy about.

After a little while, I sat down at a booth with Pam, Amelia, Karin, and Harper while the guys were off chatting about who knows what.

"I just thought about something; where are you going to get married?" Amelia asked.

Harper chimed in as well. "Oh yeah, is it even legal for vampires and humans to marry?"

"It is in Nevada; we're going to Vegas!" I said giddy as a schoolgirl.

"Now that's my kind of wedding." Pam said. "I guess you'll get your chance to party in Vegas after all Sookie."

"I know I'm so excited! Eric said Sophie Ann would be happy for us to get married in her territory also because it will be a big deal for the vampire community. I'm happy about it because last time we went to Vegas we certainly didn't have time for anything fun, so I figure Eric owes me a proper trip!"

"Uh oh what happened last time you were in Vegas?" Harper asked.

"Well we surprise attacked another Monarch and got in a huge battle and Eric ended up overthrowing him. Blood spilled, heads rolled, you know the usual. It was pretty exciting, but not really what I had in mind for Sin City." I actually said it with a straight face.

"Oh yeah, I can see how that wouldn't be an ideal vacation." Harper said giggling.

"I'm sure this time will be much better! We can go ahead of time and have a couple days of girl time before the wedding. We can catch some shows, do some gambling, hit up the spas and shops; it will be awesome!" Amelia was already excited about the whole thing.

"That's what I was thinking." I said.

"Have you set a date yet?" Pam asked.

"Yeah; we were thinking Saturday October 16th for the wedding in Vegas and then we're going to have the formal bonding ceremony for the Kingdom at the Halloween party."

"That's a good idea, all the Louisiana vamps and some from other territories will be here for the party as well as important Supes of all kinds. The human Halloween party will be the night before on Saturday since the one on Halloween night is for Supes only." Pam explained to everyone.

"Yeah, October is going to be a busy month. Do you think we'll have time to put everything together before then? We've got an out of state wedding, two huge Halloween parties back to back, and a bonding ceremony." I was starting to question whether we could get it all done in time.

"Sure we can. We'll spend a weekend in New York soon and shop for your dresses and jewelry, then we'll have a wedding planner take care of the travel arrangements as soon as you figure out who all is coming to the wedding. E(E)E is going to be taking care of the Halloween party and bonding ceremony, so get with Quinn and let him know what you want. It won't be that difficult really." Pam answered as if she had planned tons of weddings.

"Why are we going shopping in New York?" I asked.

"Sookie you are marrying a King, you can't be seen in some simple frock off a hanger in Shreveport. New York has the best selection of clothing and jewelry; much better than what we could find here."

"Ok I guess you're right. I'm so glad I've got you guys to help me figure all this out. I was hoping that you girls would want to be my bridesmaids?" As much as I knew these girls were my friends, I couldn't get over the insecurity I felt at asking them something like this. I guess when you've spent your whole life trying to make friends, it's hard to let go of those feelings. A little part of me was scared they were actually going to reject me.

"Of course!" Amelia and Harper said in unison.

"Thank you Sookie; I'd be honored. I've never been a bridesmaid before." Karin said.

"You know we will be your bridesmaids Sookie; who else could pull off such a fabulous wedding?" Pam laughed.

"Actually Pam, I wanted to ask you if you would be my Maid of Honor. You've been so good to me since Eric and I got together and it would mean a lot to us if you would stand beside me at the wedding."

She looked at me speechless for a moment before nodding and putting her tough face back on. "Of course Sookie; I'd love that."

"Alright great! So now I just have to tell Jason, Sam, Tara, and a few other people. I'm going to ask Tara if she wants to be a bridesmaid too. You know I never thought I would even get married, much less that I would beat her to the altar."

"If things keep going as good as they have been, she might be walking down the aisle next." Amelia said.

"That would be awesome; Sam is such a good guy and they make a cute couple."

"Not to rain on anyone's parade but Sookie how much money do you think I'll need to spend a weekend in Vegas? Eric's been nice enough to let me work a few nights here at the club, but I don't know if I can afford to go to Vegas for a weekend and I don't want Bill to feel obligated to pay for everything." Harper was embarrassed because she knew the other women would have more financial resources than she did.

"Oh no honey, me and Eric already decided that we're going to pay for everyone's travel and lodging and Eric said Sophie Ann will be glad to give out some comp cards for her casino. I'm going to pay for the bridesmaid's dresses, so really all you have to do is bring a little souvenir money." I patted her hand reassuringly. I knew exactly what it felt like to miss out on something for lack of money and I was going to make sure that all our friends and family would be taken care of for our wedding, even if the others vamps could afford it.

"Wow Sookie that's really generous of you guys. Thank you." Karin answered shyly.

"What are you ladies talking about over here?" Eric said smiling as he walked up and kissed me.

"Oh you know; girl stuff, wedding stuff, Vegas stuff." I replied.

"Excellent, you all are going to put this wedding together in no time." Eric said.

"You've got that right. I told Sookie we would need to make a weekend trip to New York to shop for dresses, jewelry, and accessories." Pam said to Eric.

"That's a great idea Pam. I'll be glad to send you girls there for a weekend or we can all go and get some shopping done as well as take in a few shows. While we're there, I'd like for Sookie to get a new wardrobe and I'm sure you can assist her with that."

"My pleasure." Pam purred.

"Oh great, you guys are going to make me shop 'til I drop aren't you? I can understand the wedding dress but why do I need a whole new wardrobe anyways?" I asked indignantly.

"My love you are about to become a Queen, you will need to dress the part. It would reflect poorly on me as your mate and husband if you were not well kept and dressed in fine clothes and jewels. You will also be attending many social events that will require several formal outfits. This is a good time to stock up on nice things that aren't easily available in Louisiana."

"I guess you're right, but this is all just so weird to me. I mean I want to look good standing beside you, and I certainly don't want to embarrass you but I just don't feel right spending a fortune on clothes and jewelry. It makes me feel selfish."

"Sookie dear, you are about the least selfish person I have ever met. In the short time I've known you; I can see that you are a good person. The clothes and the lifestyle is not about you being a bad person or selfish person, it's about the way things are in our world. Other vampires would look down on Eric if they thought he wasn't spoiling you. Believe me, my Master can afford to treat you to nice things and it brings him pleasure to do so. Just try to relax and enjoy it." Karin said.

"Well said Karin." Eric smiled at her.

"I guess I see where you're coming from." I turned to Eric. "As long as you don't go too overboard, I promise to be quiet and let you get me the things you think I need."

"See that wasn't so hard now was it?" He smirked at me.

Within the next hour, we finished chatting and Pam and Karin left. Godric caught me and Eric privately and told us how happy he was for us and to let him know if there was anything he could do for us. Eric later told me that he asked Godric to be his best man and after Eric explained the concept, Godric happily accepted. He left a few minutes later with Amelia in tow and she said she would meet me at the farmhouse later that night. Karin and Bill were the last to leave after Bill walked over to talk to us.

"Eric; Sookie I would like to tell you how happy I am for the two of you. I know things haven't always been easy between the three of us but please know that I am sincere in my well wishes and I know that you two will be very happy together."

"Thanks Bill that was so sweet! I'm really glad to hear you say that because I really want us all to be friends and I want you to be happy too." I said.

"Actually I am happy. I didn't think I ever wanted to be a Maker but now that I have Harper, I feel a connection to her that I didn't think was possible. She has been a welcome addition to my life and I have you two to thank for trusting me to mentor her."

"I knew you would do a good job Bill. Thank you for the kind words." Eric said wrapping his arm around me.

"Alright well I guess we're going to head out; goodnight." He said. After saying goodbye to Harper, Eric and I were the only ones left in the club. Eric walked to the front door and locked it and asked me if I was ready to go.

"Actually I think I want to stay here a little longer." I walked to the bar and poured myself a shot of Patron.

"Would you like me to turn the music on?" He asked.

"If you want to." I kicked off my shoes and took the clip out of my hair, shaking it free. Eric growled at me and started stalking towards me.

I held up a hand in the stop motion and he stopped. I walked past him to his office and picked up my little overnight bag and came back out.

"Give me ten minutes then come down and find me." I said in my best sultry voice before walking back towards the office and down the stairs to the 'dungeon.' I laughed at the feelings I was getting through the bond; love, lust, desire, confusion, excitement, lust. Eric was a mess right now!

**EPOV**

What is my little Faery up to now? She has just walked downstairs to my dungeon with a bag in her hand and asked me to wait ten minutes before coming after her. The way she shook out her golden hair reminded me of the Goddess in all her beauty. In my long life I have never seen a woman as enchanting as my bonded. I really need to make an offering to Freyja for sending me this beautiful angel after a lifetime of loneliness. Now I sit here and wait, counting the seconds untiI I can walk down those stairs and see what she's up to.

I focus in on the bond and feel lust, excitement, and nervousness coming from Sookie. What is she up to? I've used that dungeon for some of my darker pleasures with hundreds of women over the years, but I've never taken Sookie down there. I respect her too much to treat her like the fangbangers that come to my club and I didn't want to scare her with the kinky sex toys I have hidden down there. Respect or not though, the thought of my innocent little Faery tied up in the throes of passions gives me a massive erection.

I look at my watch; six minutes. By the Gods, this will be the longest ten minutes of my life. Tonight has been a wonderful night and I was looking forward to taking Sookie to her house and fucking her wild before I left for the night. She mentioned something about wanting to get started on the wedding plans immediately so she wanted to be at the farmhouse with her witch tomorrow. It pains me not to have her in my bed, even in my daytime rest but I resolve to let her make her own choices. Soon enough she will be living with me and I will have her warm body and delicious smell beside me as I let the sun take me every day. What a miraculous swirl of emotions this girl has managed to stir within me. If someone would have told me two years ago that I would be hopelessly devoted to a Faery/human hybrid and about to marry her in front of humans I would have surely disemboweled them. There is no denying the fact now though that I am hopelessly and shamelessly devoted to this beautiful creature.

Two minutes. After living for such a long time, you learn not to get attached to humans or anybody for that matter because they disappear so quickly. Time is a thief even to those of us who are supposed to be immortal. It is why I fought my feelings for her when I first met her and tried to act as if I only wanted to fuck her and taste her. It couldn't have been farther from the truth; I wanted to bind her to me the moment I laid eyes on her. Pam was utterly confused that I had such a reaction to anyone and for weeks she kept sending busty blondes to me for meals as she thought I was going through a phase. None of them could compare to Sookie though, even before I tasted her I knew that her blood would be pure sunshine and honey and that I would be ruined for all others.

As the hand strikes the ten minute mark, I am downstairs so fast I startle Sookie. .Goddess. My sweet Faery is standing before me in a red corset and garters with no panties. Looking her up and down, she has on sheer black stockings and black stilettos…..and she's locked herself in the cuffs I have hanging from the ceiling. Dear Gods she is standing before me chained up offering herself like an all-you-can-eat buffet. I hear a loud rumbling sound and realize I'm growling deep in my chest. The animal inside me is beating at me to be unleashed so it can devour it's prey, but I try to regain my composure so as not to hurt her.

"Oh my God!" Sookie shrieks. "Who are you? Where am I?"

That devious little minx, she wants to play a game. "Silence human." I bark at her. I feel her excitement spike inside me. "What are you doing in my basement? Don't you know that a big, scary vampire King is standing before you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry sir…I don't know what happened. How did I get locked up down here? Please let me go."

I laugh at her wickedly as I circle around her to take in the full view. That luscious tan ass of hers is poking out from under the little garter, just begging to be touched. WHACK! I smack her ass one good time with a flat palm causing her to cry out. Almost instantly I can smell her arousal in the air and it's all I can do not to ravage her.

"OW! What….what are you going to do to me? Are you going to punish me for sneaking down to your basement sir?"

"You will address me as Master!"

"Yes Master….whatever you say."

"Oh yes, it will be _whatever_ I say." I probe the bond and find that she is willing me to continue so I know she's still into it.

"What can I do to please you Master?" She purrs at me.

I step back a few feet and slowly pull all my clothes off. It pleases me to no end that Sookie's eyes are glued to my body with a hungry look on her face. I step closer to her and whisper for her to grab the chains. She does as I say and I reach past her and pull the chain to pull her farther up in the air. After I secure it, she is against the wall and her legs are parallel to my chest and stomach. I grip her thighs and spread her wide, and begin devouring her sweet center. She is moaning loudly and gripping her legs around my neck; it's a good thing I don't need to breathe. I quickly bring her to her first orgasm and before giving her time to recover, I push into her in one hard thrust.

"Ahhh!" She yells and grips the chains harder. I can tell she's dying to touch me but can't because she's tied up. It's the hottest thing I've ever seen.

"Silly girl getting locked in a vampire's lair….are you scared?" I hiss at her.

"No" She grunts at me.

"You should be!" I say as I sink my fangs into her neck and pound her at vampire speed. She screams as another intense orgasm rips through her.

Her blood is always so sweet and tinged with Fae but tonight it is especially intoxicating as she is so happy and turned on. I lap at it greedily as I reach my own release and try to clear my head so I can pull away from her. The animal in me is purring with satisfaction and aching for me to drain the captured Faery in front of me. I know I'm making all kinds of growling and animal sounds as I slowly pull my fangs out of her.

To my surprise Sookie screams "don't stop!" She's still coming down from her release and her mind is in a lust induced haze. The rational part of me knows I shouldn't drink anymore but hearing her moan and ask me to keep drinking is more than I can handle. I slowly start pumping into her again as she grinds her hips in tune with me. She leans her head to the opposite side of where I had already drank and offers me her neck.

"Sookie I can't….ahhh….too much." I grunt incoherently at her. I'm so swept up in the fantasy and slightly high off her Faery blood that I can't seem to form a sentence.

"Jag vill du Eric. Gärna dricka från mig, ta mig inom dig. Gör det!" (_I want you to Eric. Please drink from me, take me inside of you. Do it!) _She screams at me and I lose the small grip of sanity I had left.

My fangs slice through the soft flesh of her neck and her blood fills my mouth. Fucking honey, Faery, sunshine, sex, and happiness in every drop. There is no Eric Northman right now; just a primal animal devouring his delicious prey. I drank mouthful after mouthful as I come violently inside of her. In the back of my mind I can hear her moans and screams of pleasure and it only serves to drive me wilder. There's a tiny bit of myself starting to seep back in as I feel the trust and love in the bond. Slowly I snap out of the haze and immediately I've unhooked her and rushed her to lie down on the bed.

"Sookie are you alright? Sookie!" I yell in her face, shaking her.

She looks up at me and smiles. "I'm better than OK. That was amazing!"

"My love, I'm sorry I got carried away. I took too much blood."

"Eric I'm fine. I mean I feel like I've been rode hard and put away wet, but I'm definitely fine." She looks at me with sleepy eyes and I can tell she's in the post coital blissed out stage.

"Here, take some of my blood." I bite into my wrist and press it against her hot mouth. She immediately latches on and regardless of how thoroughly I just fucked her, I'm hard as a rock and ready to take her again but I refrain because I'm still worried about taking so much blood.

She releases my wrist and licks the few drops of her lips. "Yummy." She purrs at me.

I lie down beside her and pull her into my arms. "Sookie I didn't mean to take so much, I'm sorry. Perhaps it's not a good idea to egg me on like that again."

"Are you kidding me? That was absolutely amazing! I knew you wouldn't hurt me and it feels so good when you feed deeply like that. It made me just a little lightheaded, so it was all swirly while you were doing me and I don't think I've ever come so hard in my life! We're definitely doing that again."

"Sookie I could have seriously hurt you. I could have drained the life right out of you quicker than you realize."

"No you couldn't have. Claudine told me as long as I regularly took your blood, you could feed all you want and you won't hurt me. Even if you almost drained me, as long as you give me your blood soon after then I'll be fine."

"That's incredible. If I take too much and then give you my blood though, won't you be vampire?"

"Nope. Something about the Fae magic surrounding our bond won't let it happen. Not that I'm saying I want to be bloodless, but you don't have to worry about feeding deeply every now and then."

The Gods must really be smiling down on me. Not only do I have this perfect angel as my own but she will be immortal like me, she's become a strong warrior, she has incredible powers and now I can feed off her all I want without worrying about hurting her. I'm going to have to sacrifice some really expensive jewelry and maybe an entire army of good looking warriors to Freyja to compensate for this.

"What are you chuckling about?" Sookie asks.

"Oh nothing lover, just thinking about how perfect you are for me in every way."

"Well that's good to know since you're going to make an honest woman out of me."

"Yes I am and I cannot wait. How about we elope tomorrow? I don't know if I can wait three months to call you Mrs. Northman." Her eyes filled with tears and I wondered what I did wrong. "I'm just kidding my love, we can have the wedding of your dreams; please don't be upset."

"I'm not upset Eric, I just….I love the way that sounds."

I looked at her confused before she continued. "Mrs. Northman. Sookie Northman. I can't wait to be your wife!" She wrapped her arms around me and held onto me tightly as we gently made love one more time. It was the opposite of the wild, rough sex we had just had. I took my time touching and tasting every part of her skin and savored the feel of her wrapped tightly around me. If she lived the next 2000 years, I would never tire of making love to her.

We finally wrapped up our night and got dressed. I drove her to Bon Temps and tucked her in bed before flying back to Shreveport. As I lay in the bed waiting for dawn to take me, I felt something I hadn't felt in centuries; hope.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Hope you all are enjoying the new story so far! Just wanted to make a few small points about this story before going any further. First off, Sookie and Eric are getting married but this will not turn into a baby story ever. A few writers have wrote that story well, but it's just not going to happen for my stories. I like them as a young, strong, Supe couple that have all kinds of adventures and such and I'm afraid a baby just didn't fit in that in my stories. Also wanted to let you guys know that I've been driving myself crazy because I have so many ideas for a new story (not part of this or Blood on The Bayou series) but haven't allowed myself to start working on it yet but I think I'm going to start it soon. Don't worry I will not neglect this one! Hope you all follow along with me as we see where this road leads. **

* * *

"Rise and shine sleepyhead!" Amelia chanted bursting into my room.

"You've got to be kidding me." I mumbled while tucking myself under the covers. "Go away for a few more hours."

"I don't think so Tink, we have a lot of work to do and little time to do it in! Now get up!"

"Ugghhh." I burrowed further under the covers hoping if I ignored her she would just go away.

"Ok then…"

I shot out from under the covers as the ear splitting sound of drums blasted in my bedroom. That dirty witch actually poofed a drum line in my bedroom! Little acne faced teenagers were marching through my room banging on their drums and playing a tuba, seemingly unaware that they were in my bedroom.

"OK I'm up!" I yelled at her.

"Oh good!" POOF! The drum line was gone.

"You know, you really don't fight fair Amelia."

"Don't be silly! Here, you just need some coffee." She smiled cheerfully and poofed a mug of steaming hot coffee onto my nightstand.

"Well maybe I can forgive you this one time." I snickered at her and grabbed the coffee.

"So what do you want to do first?"

"I don't know I've never done this before. Maybe we should make a list of everything that needs to be done and work from there."

"Ooh good idea! I'll get a notebook." Apparently Amelia was done showing off for the moment because she actually walked out of the room to grab the notebook. I could have popped it into the room just as easily but, hey it was early.

She walked back in and I scooted over so she could sit Indian style on the bed with me. She wrote as we both started thinking of things that needed to be accomplished in the next 14 weeks.

"Even though I don't think it's necessary; Eric said we should hire a wedding planner, so let's write that down at the top of the list. I need to invite Niall and Claudine for dinner to tell them about the engagement; I mean Eric said he already asked Niall for 'permission' but he didn't know when Eric was going to propose. I guess I should call Claude too but you know what an ass he can be."

"Oh yeah" She agreed. "I'm guessing you'll want to have an engagement party for all of Eric's important friends and clients."

"Should we?"

"Of course! Someone in Eric's position would be expected to hold a formal dinner or cocktail party to announce the engagement."

"I guess you're right. I'm glad you know so much about all this high society stuff."

"Well when you grow up a Carmichael, it's sort of expected."

"Ok so write that down. Hey I was just thinking about something; are you going to stay in this house? I mean after I move in with Eric I was hoping you weren't going to go back to New Orleans."

"Are you kidding me? I love it here; Bon Temps might be a small backwater, but it's a Supernatural haven. There are more species of Supes here than I've ever encountered and there's just this magical aura all around. Can't you feel it?"

"Yes I can. I think I've been feeling it since I was a kid, but I just never knew what it was. I remember feeling differently when we would go out of town; kinda like I was missing something but the moment we got back to Bon Temps I could feel the energy again. Of course when I was a kid, I figured it was just me being homesick or something."

"I'll bet so; the Fae are so in touch with the elements of the Earth that I imagine you were tuned in to all the magical energy but you just didn't realize what it was."

"I never thought about that. I wish I would have known and accepted what I was long ago so I wouldn't have felt like such a freak my whole life."

"You aren't and you weren't a freak. You just had no idea what you really were and it never would have occurred to you that you were something more than human when you didn't know that was even a possibility. It's too bad we didn't grow up together; I would have showed you the ropes."

"Yeah I can only imagine! Ok, do we need to make arrangements with Anubis once everyone RSVP's?"

"No, your wedding planner will take care of all that. You'll just tell her how many human and vamp passengers and how many rooms and she'll book everything."

"Oh well that's cool. I was thinking the week of the wedding all of us girls could go and spend the week in Vegas and have the bachelorette party and everything, then Thursday all the guys could come. We could all hang out that night and then I guess we'll need to have a rehearsal on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. Wow, this is going to be crazy!" I giggled at the idea of everything we had going on, but on the inside I was feeling a little overwhelmed.

"That sounds good. So you're leaving with Eric tomorrow for New Orleans right?"

"Yeah we're catching a private Anubis flight right after nightfall tomorrow. Hey why don't you go with me? Eric is going to have lots of work to do and we could check out the stores in New Orleans and then you can go with me to meet the lady that's going to make the invitations. I bet you could even convince Godric to go with us if you want."

"Won't Eric mind if I go with you? I don't want to intrude."

"You wouldn't be intruding! He'll be dead all day and busy at night anyways; I'll be lonely without you there!"

"Ok why not? Speaking of shopping, we need to decide when we're going to New York." She pulled out her phone and looked at the calendar. "We'll need to go soon because after you find your dress they'll need time to make any alterations and have your final fitting before we leave for Vegas. How about next Friday? That will give Eric ten days to settle any Kingdom business before we go."

"That sounds good, I'll ask him tonight to see if that's possible."

"Well for now we have the main points covered and the rest can be filled in once you meet your wedding planner. Do you want me to call around and find someone?"

"Not yet, I think I have someone in mind already. If she can't do it though, we'll find someone else."

"Ok well I say we lay out and tan and then go to Merlotte's for lunch. You said you wanted to tell Sam and Tara so why don't you call and see if she can meet us there?"

"Yeah that sounds good. I'll be down in a few minutes; I've got to make a call first."

Amelia left and headed upstairs to change while I picked up my phone and dialed my Godfather.

"Desmond Cataliades office, how can I help you?" Answered a familiar voice.

"Diantha?" I asked. It sounded like her but I had never heard her actually enunciate each word before.

"Theoneandonly."

"Hi, it's Sookie. How are you?"

"Oh hey Sookie! Goodtohearfromya! You looking for my Uncle?" She asked alternating between saying each word and combining others.

"Yes I was, is he available?"

"Alwaysforyouholdon." She placed me on hold.

"To what do I owe the pleasure my dear?" Desmond said after a minute.

"Hi Mr. C, I was calling to tell you that Eric and I are engaged! He proposed the night before last."

"Oh that is wonderful news! I am very happy for you child."

"Thanks; you know you don't seem all that surprised."

"Well I may have had a hint already when he asked me to draw up some legal documents concerning his assets."

"Oh well darn, I was hoping to tell you first."

"Don't worry dear; I didn't know exactly when it was going to happen so this is still a surprise. Did you need any legal advice concerning the marriage?"

"Oh no; actually I just wanted to give you the good news and I was sort of wondering…..if you would be interested…I would like for you and Niall to walk me down the aisle. I understand if you don't feel comfortable with that tho…"

"Nonsense!" He interrupted. "I would be honored to walk you down the aisle at your wedding and I'm sure your great grandfather will feel the same."

"Oh great! I would love that. Ok, now that we have that taken care of there was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about; business stuff that is. How much money would one need to buy a casino?"

"Well that all depends. If you wanted to build a new casino from the ground up, it would take several millions plus a substantial number of other investors to help come up with the rest of the down payment. There are certain financial institutions that would finance the rest if they thought there was a high probability of the new casino being very lucrative. If you were talking about buying out an already existing casino, you would need to know how much the asking price was and then you could negotiate from there. Since the costs would be slightly lower than building from scratch, you would still need several millions of your own money and most likely only a few key investors. Can I ask why you want to know this?"

"You know the Gold Dust casino in Shreveport?"

"Yes I've been there many years ago."

"I read in the paper that they were going under and the owner doesn't have the capitol to give it a facelift to bring in new business, so he's looking to sell it. I know it's probably a long shot, but I was wondering if I could ever buy a business that large? I don't want to have a ton of investors because I want something that's really my own that I can design it how I want to. I don't want to have to get anyone else's approval. Do you think it's completely out of the question?"

"No I don't think it's out of the question at all. Have you spoken to Mr. Northman about this yet?"

"Not yet; I was going to talk to him about it on 4th of July but when he proposed I guess I forgot all about it."

"Yes I imagine you would have! I tell you what; why don't the three of us meet for dinner soon and we'll go over the specifics. I'll get in touch with the realtor and find all the information I can."

"Oh that would be great. In fact Eric and I are coming to New Orleans tomorrow and spending the week there so I'll call you and we can get together later this week."

"That sounds good, just give me a call with the time and place and I'll be there."

"Ok bye Mr. C!" I hung up feeling on top of the world. I was going to have a fabulous Vegas wedding to the man I love and I even had two important men in my life that were going to walk me down the aisle. _You've come a long way Stackhouse,_ I thought to myself. Before heading outside, I sent Tara a quick text asking her to meet me at Merlotte's at noon.

Amelia and I baked under the hot July sun for about two hours before showering and heading over to Merlotte's. Walking in to the place that held many memories for me was beginning to feel like a foreign land. I no longer thought of myself as poor Sookie Stackhouse who had nothing better to do than be a barmaid so she could try and pretend to have some friends. I now knew that true friends were hard to find but once you did, you hold onto them through thick and thin.

As Amelia and I walked towards our usual booth, I caught Sam's eye behind the counter and waved. He held up his finger indicating he would be over in just a minute so we took our seats and waited for Tara. We sat there chatting for only a moment when Arlene shuffled over to our table.

"Hey stranger!" She said, grabbing me in a hug.

"Hey Arlene, it's so good to see you. I've missed you guys!"

"Well we've missed you too. You got too much important vamp stuff going on to come see us day walkers anymore!" She said only half joking.

"Oh no I've always got time for you guys, I've just been really busy traveling with my new job and everything."

"Well at least you look great! Guess he ain't treating you too rough…yet."

"Hey Sook! I didn't expect to see you again so soon." Sam stepped in and hugged me, thankfully keeping me from going off on Arlene.

"Hey Sam, me and Amelia wanted to come by and see you and Tara."

"Oh well I don't know if she'll come by for lunch today, I haven't talked to her this morning."

"Yeah she'll be here soon, I talked to her earlier." It was nice to see the smile that lit up his face when I told him that.

Sam slid in the booth beside me and said hello to Amelia before telling Arlene to bring us two Cokes. She gave us a fake smile and hurried off to the kitchen.

"What's her problem?" I asked.

"She's just in a mood because her new flavor of the month decided he liked blondes better….young blondes."

"Oh no. I hate it for her but I've been nothing but good to her for years and she needs to watch those underhanded comments about vampires."

"Yeah well you know how she is; she'll be happy for you as long as her life is going right too but if not, then she can't stand for anyone else to be happy." I nodded because he was preaching the truth. She was what you would call a good weather friend and I had decided that I was done with those types of people.

She set our drinks down and promptly left the table before we could ask for anything else. No matter because it didn't take much longer for Tara to make her entrance and Sam hopped up and embraced her when she came in. Sam swapped seats to sit beside Amelia with Tara beside me.

"Hey girl! I was surprised to hear from you again so soon. What are you girls out doing today?" She asked.

"Well we wanted to have lunch with you and Sam because I wanted to tell you something." Amelia was grinning like a fool while Sam and Tara's expression both turned to curiosity. I made a grand gesture of stretching my hand out to the middle of the table and squealed "I'm getting married!"

Sam's mouth just kind of fell open but Tara grabbed me around the neck and joined me in my squealing delight.

"Oh my God! Look at the size of that thing!" She said.

"I know, isn't it beautiful?!" I said.

"Wow Sookie that's some announcement. Congratulations." Sam said in a less than chipper voice. A quick peek in his thoughts told me he was conflicted.

_I want her to be happy, but a vampire? Always thought we would end up together….I love Tara though….damn Sookie you had to go for the biggest, scariest vamp of them all…..at least he can keep her safe….hell I think he even truly loves her…_

I plastered my smile back on my face and didn't betray a thing. Surprisingly I noticed when I was actively listening to Sam that I could also pick up the emotions behind the thoughts. There was shock, worry, confusion, and then resolution. _Hmm, that's an interesting new ability, I wonder if I can influence his emotions like I can with Eric. _I locked back onto his thoughts and gently sent waves of understanding and happiness to him and it actually seemed to work. He smiled genuinely and looked at me.

"I really do want you to be happy Sookie. If he makes you happy then I'm glad you found him because love is the only real thing we have in this life." I noticed he looked right at Tara as he said the last few words and I was glad to see it. Sam was a great guy but Eric was my forever.

"Tell them how he proposed Sookie." Amelia said when she couldn't handle being quiet anymore.

I relayed the story of everything that happened after we left the cookout the other night; well almost everything. Tara thought it was the most romantic thing she had ever heard and Sam looked like he was mentally taking notes. After wishing me the best again and promising that he would come to the wedding, Sam went back behind the bar to make drinks. Arlene finally sauntered back over to the table looking a little less smug than she had before.

"What would y'all like to eat?" She asked.

Just for shits and giggles I picked my menu up off the table and though I didn't need to look, I held it right in front of me so my left hand would be facing directly at her.

"Holy Mary and Joseph! Where did you get that rock Sookie?" She gasped.

"Oh I was just about to tell you the good news; Eric proposed! We're getting married in October, isn't it great?" I flashed my brightest, most confident smile at her and she seemed to turn a little green.

"Oh yeah that's great! Congratulations." She managed to choke out.

When I peeked into her thoughts it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. Mostly she was just jealous.

_Good grief that ring must have cost a fortune! Sookie is a nice girl but why can't I find a man like that; rich, handsome, and powerful. I'm not getting any younger that's for damn sure! _

"Don't worry Arlene, your Prince Charming is going to find you and swoop you up one of these days." I said to her sincerely. She may not be a perfect friend, but we had been through a lot together and I did genuinely wish her happiness.

"Thanks Sookie. I'm gonna put this order in." She smiled weakly at me and headed for the kitchen.

"So.." I said turning to Tara. "I wanted to ask you if you'll be my bridesmaid?"

"Of course! This is so exciting! When did you say the wedding was?"

"It's October 16th in Las Vegas and as soon as I know for sure that you and Sam are coming, I'll book your flight and hotel accommodations. Eric and I are paying for that for all of our friends and family and I'm buying the bridesmaids gowns so you just need to bring yourself and maybe a little spending money."

"Oh my gosh this is going to be awesome! Thanks Sookie!"

The next two hours were spent talking about flowers, dresses, lighting, and everything else wedding related. Tara finally got up saying she better get back to the shop and check on the new girl, so Amelia and I headed back to the farmhouse. On the drive home I couldn't help but think about how different my life was turning out compared to what I had expected. Before I met Bill I didn't know if I would ever be able to stand a human guy long enough to lose my virginity and a relationship was just out of the question. The night Bill walked into Merlotte's I heard the most blissful thing I had ever heard from a man: silence.

He was intelligent, handsome, well cultured and most importantly; his inner thoughts were private. Of course knowing what I do now, that was definitely an advantage for him. The point though was for the first time in my life I let myself imagine that I could actually spend time with a man and not go insane; hell maybe I could even date someone. I've realized since then that even though Bill and I weren't meant to be, our meeting was serendipitous because he introduced me to Eric. The life that I never dreamed I would have with a husband that adored me was now a reality because of that one chance encounter.

I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't realize that we had pulled into my driveway until Amelia turned the car off.

"Earth to Sookie!" she said waving her hand in front of me.

"I'm here, I was just daydreaming I guess."

"Of course you were! You're engaged to a living sex God who worships the ground you walk on; you're living a fantasy!"

"Something like that." I smiled at her.

A few hours later Amelia and I were in the kitchen cooking dinner when I saw her whole body shiver out of the corner of my eye.

"Amelia are you ok?" I asked stepping closer to her. She seemed to be completely zoned out for a few seconds before she snapped out of it.

"Sookie scan the yard, someone is trying to get past the wards."

Immediately I cast out my mental net and found two unusual brains at the edge of the woods. Before I could tell Amelia she chanted a few words and said "they're not going anywhere."

Right then Aiden came bursting through the front door.

"Ma'am you and Miss Carmichael need to go down and lock yourselves in the cubby until I come get you. There's been some kind of breach outside and I need to know you're safe until we figure out what's going on." Eric thought he was so sneaky having the guards secretly follow me to Bon Temps, but I picked up their thoughts hours ago so I knew they were here.

Ignoring Aiden I looked at Amelia. "What did you do?" I asked her.

"I put them in sort of a suspended animation so they'll be here when Eric gets up. Don't worry Aiden, they're not going anywhere. I'm sure his Majesty will want to know who or what was trying to break through the wards around this house." Amelia said proudly.

"I need to check with Brody first; you ladies don't move ok?" Aiden said before grabbing his walkie-talkie and buzzing Brody. "What's going on out there?" He asked.

"I'm not sure; I know there are two beings out here but I can't make out what they are. It's like they're invisible energy or something. I know they aren't moving though."

"Yeah, the witch froze them in time or something. She says they won't be able to get free until she releases them."

"Ok then, I'm going to stand guard out here in the yard until the King gets here."

"10-4. I'll be going back to my post if you need me."

"Ok looks like your spell worked Miss Broadway." Amelia eyed him dangerously as he implied that there was even a chance her magic wouldn't work. "I'm going back to my post, but I'd like for you two to stay inside until Mr. Northman gets here."

"No problem; thanks Aiden." I smiled at him.

"Amelia that was a great idea. I wonder what's out there?" I said to her.

"You didn't recognize their brain pattern?"

"No; maybe if I would have had more time to thoroughly sort them out I would know but they weren't your run of the mill Supe because I would have known instantly."

"Well it's almost dark; I guess we'll find out soon enough."

"Yeah that's true and I'm not in the mood for a Viking fight so I guess I'll be a good girl and stay inside." I grabbed my phone and sent a text to Eric telling him to call me as soon as he was up.

"You know it was the weirdest thing; I actually felt them trying to get through my spell. That's never happened before." Amelia said.

"I know that's amazing. Just another one of your new enhanced powers I guess."

"Between the two of us learning new magic every day, pretty soon no one will dare mess with either of us!" She said smiling.

"Somehow I don't think that's true for me; seems like some species or group is always looking to pick a fight with me."

"You do seem to attract a lot of trouble, but at least now you can really defend yourself!" Amelia laughed always looking at the bright side.

"That's true! Hey there's Eric…" I grabbed the phone off the table and answered.

"Hey sweetie!" I chirped into the phone.

"Hello my love; is everything alright? I got your text telling me to call you immediately." He replied.

"Yeah we're fine, but we caught someone or something trying to get past the wards on the house."

"Did you kill them?"

"No, we aren't even sure what they are. We didn't see them but Amelia sensed something trying to break through the wards and when I scanned for their brains, I didn't recognize them. She froze them in place for you though."

"That was smart; I'll have to reward the witch for her quick action. The sun is not all the way down yet so it will be about 15 more minutes before I can leave the house. Do not go outside and I'll be there shortly; I love you."

"Love you too; bye."

I hung up feeling excited that Eric would be here soon, but I guess I should be more worried about who was in my yard frozen in place. Oh well, there wasn't anything I could do about it now anyhow. Some Supernatural species was outside that either wanted to beat me up, kill me, use me for leverage against Eric, yada yada yada. When were these fools going to learn that me and Eric aren't the kind of people you fuck with?

Turning back to the task at hand, I pulled the chicken casserole out of the oven while Amelia grabbed some plates and silverware. We sat down at the table and started eating, not even thinking much about my would-be attackers outside.

"Eric said he's going to reward you for being so smart." I said grinning at my roomie.

"Oh really? Well that's always nice to hear, your Viking has such good taste in rewarding others." She smirked. She wasn't kidding; Eric would probably buy her a freaking car or something as a thank you.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"I think me and Godric are going to see a movie. It's funny, he loves doing all the regular things that human guys get bored with. I guess because he hasn't done most of them before, it' always fun or exciting to him."

"I can understand that. Imagine if you had been alive for over 2000 years and most of that life was spent in the shadows with no electricity, no running water, no real forms of entertainment; you would be shitting kittens to experience all the modern conveniences and entertainment we have now."

"Ain't that the truth? I don't even want to imagine life before pedicures and bikini waxes!" She said and we both cracked up.

I was loading the dishwasher when Eric zipped through the house and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I had felt him getting closer the past few minutes as he was literally flying to get here.

"Mmm it smells delightful in here." Eric said nuzzling my ear.

"That's a pecan pie I've got baking in the oven."

"Pecan….this is a nut I believe?"

"Yep, you make a pie with this sweet, gooey center and put tons of pecans on top of it. It's a southern staple and mine is one of the best if I do say so."

"I'm sure it is lover. Now shall we go see whose come knocking at your door?" He asked with a devilish grin. I was pretty sure before dawn the assailants outside were going to be wishing they were still frozen.

I called for Amelia to come downstairs and walk out with us. We stepped outside and four of Eric's vampire guards flanked us. They were deadly weapons themselves but each was still strapped with swords and assault rifles. Better to be prepared than bring a knife to a gun fight I guess.

We walked to the edge of the backyard, just about fifteen feet from the tree line and I noticed the slight disruption in the air that signaled the perimeter of the wards. You could see the vampires tense as we walked through it, feeling the magic. On the other side of the perimeter, there were two swirly outlines lightly glowing silver. There were no faces or body structures, just the outline of two figures that were probably five foot tall.

"Sookie try to read them again, see if you can figure out what they are before we let them out." Eric said.

I focused on the two pulsing brains ahead of me; they definitely weren't human, Were, or shifter and I said as much to Eric.

"They aren't Faeries but there's something almost familiar about them. It's almost like what I get from my Godfather and Diantha, but not exactly. I think they're something in the Fae realm though."

"Amelia can you unmask their features without allowing them to move?" Eric asked.

"Yeah I can do that." She began chanting and waved her arm in front of them like she was erasing the film that covered them.

Once they were visible I realized they looked nothing like most of the Fae creatures I've seen. Perhaps similar to an elf I had once met at Hooligan's but besides that, I would have been hard pressed to determine what these odd creatures were before me. Standing only five foot max; the two beings had light brown skin, a large disproportionate nose, small beady eyes, and long dirty brown hair. They wore shifts that appeared to be made from burlap or some other organic material and quite frankly they didn't smell too good.

"Jävla troll." Eric spat the words.

"Trolls?" I asked.

"Yes, you were on the right track lover. They are from the Fae realm, but certainly the less desirable side." Talk about speciesism; vampires considered themselves the top of the chain and apparently Eric had a problem with trolls.

Eric was back to speaking in his native tongue when he addressed the trolls.

"_Why are you here? Who sent you_?" He snarled at them.

"Why are you speaking to them in Old Norse?" I asked.

"They are Fae creatures but they are known by the Norse. They speak our language just as well as that of their homeland."

He must have been right because one of them responded in kind. "_Well look at that, a dead Norse man who walks and talks." _The slightly more feminine looking one said.

"_Answer the fucking question you filth!"_ Eric roared snapping his fangs down.

By this time I noticed the guards had made a circle around the still trolls and Amelia was watching with rapt attention. Now that Amelia's spell had been partially removed, I decided to try and listen in to them again. Lucky for me I also spoke Old Norse thanks to Eric and Rosetta Stone.

_Breandan sent us to a vampire home….what the hell are we supposed to do now? Need to grab that little Faery and get the hell out of here. If the vampire doesn't kill us Breandan will if we let her live._

"Who is Breandan?" I asked Eric.

"Did you hear that from them?" He asked in icy tone.

"Yes; I can't hear all their thoughts but I can get pieces. They're supposed to take me to someone named Breandan."

Before I could even register what he was doing, Eric grabbed his sword and sliced off the right arm of the troll who spoke earlier. Amelia gasped and all the vampire guards hissed as their fangs dropped. Blood was spraying out turning the tawny colored garment reddish black instantly.

"_What does Breandan want with her?!"_

I focused all my energy on their thoughts and tried to get as much information as I could. They were trying hard to block me, but with my enhanced skills it was easier to pick up at least part of what they were thinking.

"_I don't know what you're talking about dead man." _The 'manly' looking one said.

Eric let out a sinister chuckle and looked at me.

"Sookie dear, did you know that trolls don't actually live in Fae because they are sensitive to sunlight? Large amounts of sun hurt them severely; it can even kill them." He said giving me a wink. I understood that he wanted me to use my powers so I figured I'd at least warn the guards.

"Guards, please move back."

They moved back and made a wider circle around the prisoners. I summoned my light power and directed a stream of white hot light at the ground between his knees and slowly brought it up until I was right under his crotch; or at least where a human's crotch would be. I paused my assault and waited for Eric.

"_Are you sure you don't know anything_?" He asked the man one more time.

"_Go to hell vampire_."

"_I'll meet you there_." He said before turning to me and continuing in English. "Show no mercy Sookie."

After seeing what these monsters had planned for me, it wasn't hard for me to follow through. I brought the light up and immediately the troll started smoking and screaming in agony. The light was burning right through his skin as I continued the trail all the way up the middle until I brought it out on the left side of his neck. As the light reached the end of it's path, the trolls body split open where it had traveled and each side fell to the ground separately.

"Holy shit." Amelia muttered behind me.

I couldn't be sure but I believe all the vampire guards were thoroughly impressed. Maybe that was part of Eric's reasoning behind having me kill the troll when he could have easily done it himself and enjoyed it. I looked at the female troll who was now crying and shaking but lucky for her the blood flow was slowing down from her shoulder; it wouldn't matter much longer anyways.

Eric smiled at me like a proud Papa then looked at the remaining creature.

"_Now that was a quick death; yours will be immensely slower and crueler if you do not answer my questions. Why did Breandan send you? What does he want with Sookie_?" He asked calmly.

"_He knows she is to marry a vampire and form a powerful alliance. He wants to touch her and taste her before ripping her heart out and sending it to Niall in a pretty package." _The troll answered defiantly. She knew her best bet was to piss Eric off enough to give her a quick death. She got her wish when Eric quickly separated her head from her shoulders.

"Well, we have a slight problem." Eric said making the understatement of the year.

* * *

_TBC…_


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I'm going to warn you all now that this chapter is short and far from my usual quality of writing. I have had this file on my computer for weeks and for whatever reason I have been completely brain dead every time I open it and try to write. Today I decided that instead of torturing myself with it any longer I would just submit it as a short chapter so that I can move on to the next and hopefully get over this bad case of writer's block. Anyways hang in there, I promise the next chapter will be better!**_

* * *

"Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to tell me who Breandan is I asked with no patience left.

"Summon your Grandfather please." Eric replied.

"Fine!" I calmed my emotions and reached out mentally to him_. Niall I need you, come to me please._

Within seconds there was a loud pop and Niall and Claudine were in front of me. All the vampires who were just calming down from the earlier violence were riled up again as the sweet smell of Faery invaded their senses. Fangs snapped into place instantly but Niall simply snapped his fingers and cloaked their essence before they ended up as a snack.

"What is going on child?" He asked surveying the scene. Claudine was standing beside him, heavy with her child waiting to hear the details as well.

"Earlier two trolls came here and attempted to break through the wards. Amelia cast a spell to stop them where they were until Eric could question them; it turns out they were sent here by someone named Breandan and they wanted to kidnap me. We got all the information we could from them and then killed them and my soon-to-be husband won't tell me who Breandan is and now here you guys are." I said this all in one big huff.

Niall ignored me and turned to Eric. "Did they say what Breandan wanted with her?" He asked barely masking the anger that was building in him.

"The first would not confess so Sookie ended him." This earned me a creepy smile from gramps and Claudine. "The female said that Breandan knew she was about to form a powerful alliance with the vampires and he wanted to defile her before killing her to hurt you." Eric said glaring at Niall.

Now gramps was finally looking back to pay attention to me; you know the telepath. "They were thinking of all the terrible things he wanted to do to me and how happy he would be to see you broken by my death."

I had never seen Niall look more inhuman than he did at that moment. The fierce warrior inside every Faery was dying to break free. I had a good feeling that if Claudine wasn't about to pop she would be back in Faery kicking some ass right now. I knew by the look on their faces that this was serious trouble though they were trying not to alarm me. Instead Niall gathered me in his arms and hugged me close to him, eliciting a growl from Eric.

"He will not hurt you dear; no one will ever hurt you again. I will take care of this immediately." He said smoothing my hair back.

"Thank you Niall, but please explain this to me. Why does he want to hurt me to get to you anyways?" I noticed that Claudine looked to Niall but he shook his head at her.

"That is a conversation best left to a more private setting." He answered.

"I'm sorry Prince, but we do not leave the King's side." Kimiko; Eric's head of security said, stepping up to flank him.

"I think I have a solution." Amelia blurted out. She began chanting and moving her hand in a circular motion in front of us.

Soon Eric, Niall, Claudine and I were encased in a ball of energy. Kimiko crouched to a protective stance and glared at Amelia but Eric looked at him and shook his head 'no'.

_Sookie you're in a soundproof barrier. We can't hear anything that's said but Eric's guards can still watch him._ Amelia was speaking to me telepathically and of course the Faeries had heard her too.

"They can't hear us, it's soundproof." I said to Eric.

"Good, now explain." He said curtly to Niall.

"Breandan is my nephew; his father Rogan was my older brother. Sadly, Rogan was killed in the last Fae War around three centuries ago. Since that time, Breandan has been on a path of destruction. He was angry that he was not made the new Prince of Faery, though he would have been a terrible leader. He also believes that partial Faeries are the reason for the weakening of our magic. He believes that creating Faery hybrids are the reason our magic has been diluted. He has fought with me for the past few decades to 'cleanse' this realm of all partial Faeries but of course I have refused to. If he is coming after you, then he knows you are my great Granddaughter and that you could be used as leverage to get me to comply."

"Great someone else wants to kill me." I said dripping with sarcasm. "I don't get it though, how could part Faeries in this realm have anything to do with true Faeries magic not being as strong anymore?"

"It doesn't. His logic is highly skewed and irrational; he is not well."

"He's bat shit crazy! Has been ever since his father died." Claudine added.

"I am assuming this Faery spends all of his time in your world?" Eric asked.

"Yes, I haven't known him to ever go further than the portal." Niall answered.

"Ok what's the difference in the portal and Faery?" I asked.

Claudine decided to field this one for me. "Faery is another plane altogether; only true Fae can enter unassisted. The portal is sort of a go-between; not quite your world and not quite Faery. Being a partial Faery, you would be able to go there for example but it still wouldn't allow a human to enter."

"How do you plan on solving this since I obviously cannot enter Faery?" Eric said mad at the fact that he couldn't walk in there and make heads roll.

"I will gather my forces and take care of the problem once and for all. For now just keep going about your lives as normal and make sure to keep your shields down to detect any trouble." Niall answered gravely.

I could feel Eric's rage and need for revenge coming in loud and clear. If I didn't diffuse this situation quickly, I wasn't sure what might happen.

"Since you're here, I have wonderful news to share; Eric and I are getting married!" I said joyfully to my family. After a few more tense seconds of his staring contest with Eric, Niall finally looked down and his face softened.

"Yes I see that. If this is what you want, I am very happy for you."

"I want this more than anything." I said stepping over to wrap my arms around Eric.

"Then I shall bless your union child."

Claudine seemed to release the breath she had been holding, waiting for the Prince's reaction.

"Oh Sookie I'm so happy for you! Have you set a date? Where will you wed?" She was getting ahead of herself in her excitement and actually hugged me while I was standing beside Eric. Luckily he still couldn't smell her but I know he was looking at her like a big bowl of Lucky Charms.

"Well thank you! I was actually going to call and invite you all over to tell you about the wedding but this just came up first. The date is Saturday October 16th in Vegas. I'm having the invitations drawn up this week while we're in New Orleans. Actually Claudine I really wanted you to be a bridesmaid but with all the vamps I didn't think it would be a good idea."

"That's okay dear I understand."

"Instead, I was thinking you would sit in the front row where my parents should be seated and you'll be given the place of honor in my Mother's stead."

"Oh my I would love that; thank you." She said. She snapped her fingers and a handkerchief appeared to dry her eyes. I knew those pregnancy hormones were getting to her.

"Grandfather, I was wondering if you would walk me down the aisle when we get married?"

"It would be my honor dear. I hate to cut this short but I need to get back to Faery and check on things, but I will speak with you again soon. If you come across anything suspicious during the daytime, please call me immediately."

"I will." I answered.

"Vampire I assume you know how to dispose of those?" He asked pointing to the very dead trolls.

"Yes."

With that Niall disappeared and Amelia removed the sound barrier.

"Everything okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, everything is fine." I answered not really believing that myself. "Claudine you look ready to pop, when is your baby due again?"

She smiled and rubbed her stomach lovingly. "I would say within three weeks; your time."

"Wow that's really soon! You better keep that baby in until at least July 23rd for your baby shower."

"Ladies I hate to interrupt but we really need to take care of the mess on the lawn." Eric said.

"Oh right. Okay well Claudine thanks for coming, now you go home and get some rest. I'll talk to you soon." I said stepping forward and hugging her around her beach ball. She said goodbye to us and waved at Amelia before popping away.

"So, how do we get rid of them?" I asked Eric.

"Burn them." Eric and Amelia said in unison. Apparently I was the only one not familiar with troll disposal.

"Oh, well I think I can take care of that." I summoned my energy as I had before, but this time instead of the sun I harnessed an element of nature; fire. I directed the red orbs at the bodies and slung them forward immediately engulfing them in flames.

We went back to the house and as the guards took their post outside; Eric, Amelia, and I went in and sat at the kitchen table.

"Do you think he'll come after me again before Niall can stop him?" I asked Eric.

"I doubt it. When the trolls do not return with you, he will have to regroup and form a new plan. Niall will take care of him before that happens I'm sure. Just to be safe though, I do not want you going out alone. Take your Were guards with you everywhere."

"I'm not helpless Eric. You see how well I took care of beady eyes out there." I said pointing to the yard.

"I know you aren't helpless sweetheart but you can't very well shoot fire from your hands if you're at the mall now can you?"

"Well no, fine I'll take them with me everywhere."

"Ok now that the important stuff is out of the way we can get down to business." Amelia said pulling out her little notebook.

"Oh yeah, Eric you don't mind if Amelia and Godric go with us to New Orleans do you?" I asked.

"Of course not. I'm sure you will enjoy having Amelia with you during the day and I'm always happy to have my Maker nearby."

"Great, so here's what we came up with today. We were thinking next Friday the 16th we could leave for New York for the weekend. Sookie will need to get her dress soon so she will have time to have it altered. Will that work for you?" Amelia asked.

"I'll need to check my schedule but that sounds fine."

We spent the next hour informing Eric of the list we made today and gave him all the upcoming important dates so he could plan accordingly. After that was done, Amelia went to meet up with Godric as Eric and I headed to the Shreveport house. The plan was for the two of them to stay the night with us so we could all head to the airfield at first dark tomorrow. When we got back to the house I immediately went into hostess mode; making sure there were fresh linens in the spare rooms, bloods and human drinks in the fridge, and anything else a guest might like. Eric watched me with his amused expression, but really playing hostess was one of my favorite things.

The flight to New Orleans was uneventful and we arrived to find that half the palace had been carefully packed into boxes and shipping crates. I found out later that an events company was interested in the property and it was currently in escrow. I know it was a big relief to Eric because his new compound would be finished within a week and this was one headache he didn't have to deal with anymore. It was bittersweet that this would be the last time we stayed here, but I was more than ready to move operations to our beautiful new plantation.

Around 11 am the next morning, Amelia and I were walking downtown towards Exquisite Events to meet with Eric's contact for the wedding invitations when I remembered the first time we were here.

"Do you remember what happened the last time the two of us walked downtown together?" I asked her.

"Sure I do but I don't think we have to worry about that this time." She shot me a wicked smile.

Lord knows now Amelia and I would hardly be a target for some overzealous Weres, as we could easily take them out. It just goes to show you how quickly life can change.

Renee Russo was the owner of Exquisite Events and from the thoughts broadcasting from her head, she was genuinely as nice as she seemed. It says a lot about society that I'm surprised when people's thoughts actually match their actions.

We told her that we needed the invitations for the dinner party right away and we were able to pick out a design she already had on hand. The invitations were pretty but simple in dark blue with white script announcing the dinner party that would be held on July 23rd. The month of July was so full with events and wedding planning and trips that I would be having Claudine's baby shower in the early afternoon that day and our engagement party that night. The invitations we picked out would go to the Louisiana and Nevada contingents along with Eric's business contacts.

The real fun was looking through pages of colors, textures, designs, scripts, and anything else you could want to personalize wedding invitations. After an hour of pouring through every possibility, I went with a dark teal invitation with gold script and a gold envelope which would be embossed with the Louisiana crest on the front and an 'N' on the back seal. I knew Eric would appreciate the colors as well as the Northman reference. I had decided the day before as I looked through a bridal magazine that our wedding colors would be what I called peacock colors. In other words, we would have beautiful jewel tones of teal, emerald, purple, fuchsia, and a touch of gold.

Mrs. Russo swiped my credit card and promised me the wedding invitations would be ready within ten days. Eric had made me promise to pay the extra fee to have them addressed and shipped to our guests directly from the manufacturer, so all in all I was done with one item off my list of about one hundred. As Amelia and I walked the streets of New Orleans it occurred to me that maybe Eric and I could just run off and elope in Vegas without the actual wedding; well a girl can dream.


End file.
